


Even The Toughest Can Fall

by Layzhe_06



Series: Adventures with the Gaang!! (Modern AU) [8]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Self-Esteem Issues, Toph Beifong-centric, Toph Being Awesome, Toph needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:39:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24959266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Layzhe_06/pseuds/Layzhe_06
Summary: Toph can feel their heartbeat... They see it as the truth. They're convinced.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Sokka
Series: Adventures with the Gaang!! (Modern AU) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778341
Comments: 3
Kudos: 68





	Even The Toughest Can Fall

'Look at her... What a clown!'   
'Sweetheart, it's for the best, you're not yet ready, you're too fragile.'  
'Blind bitch!'  
'You're not strong enough! Society will eat you up-- COME BACK HERE!'  
'Young lady, how dare you?!'   
'That's just how it's done.'  
'Oh my god, how awful... It must be so hard being blind... She's so helpless.'  
'At least she can't see how ugly she is.'

These were sentences Toph would hear every now and then, but that didn't mean they didn't bite. Everytime someone called her weak, she'd pummel them knowing... Hoping... She wasn't what they said she was in their eyes anymore after her payback. Even if it does, it doesn't mean she always goes away unaffected. She can feel their heartbeat, they're telling the truth. They're convinced it's the truth. 

And it hurts. Because she feels like an outcast. 

But she'd never admit that to anyone. Not willingly. No. She wouldn't let herself do that, it'll make all the words come true. She'd act unaffected, and keep the pain inside until she was sure she was alone in her bedroom. She'll beat them up, ignoring the stinging feeling in her eyes, the ache of her heart. She knows who she is, and won't let some rancid buttwad step on her. 

She's the greatest earthbender in the world, and she was going to show the world that blindness won't stop her from living her life like a normal person. 

It's all she ever wanted. To be treated as an equal. 

So when she became friends with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki, her wish was granted. Soon enough, she met one more person, Zuko. She bonded with him and had a sibling-like connection with him. She saw him as the brother she was never given, and he saw her as the sister he had been stripped from. 

But tonight, Zuko and Suki were out on a vacation in Ember Island, Sokka was arriving in a few hours to let her listen to his newest album. She was ecstatic to hear this and went grocery shopping with Aang and Katara, when they were on their way back to the car, a group of girls had passed by them and they called her a 'sightless platypus bear'. Of course, that ended up with them cowering in fear after she'd used the parking lot floors to encase them in stone. Then Katara gave them a heaping plate of insults to defend Toph who was cracking her knuckles with a smirk.

She felt their heartbeat quicken a mile faster and apologized when she was three steps away from them, fists clenched. Liars, they weren't sorry at all. She scoffed and let them go as they ran off with dusty clothes, of course after a kick in the ass. Katara put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she only wrenched out of her grip and went inside the car. She'd gone too soft, she had to work on that. And luckily, she'd be alone for a few hours before Sokka arrived. 

When she'd gone home, she gave them a believable goodbye and went for the apartment. Her tears were already falling as the bad memories returned. She was alone anyway, she could let herself breakdown. No one was there to see it. She sniffed and the elevator dinged, she was nearly home. After passing by two doors, she pulled out her keys and went inside. She dropped her groceries on the floor and slid down, her back on the door. Silent sobs wracking her body. 

"I'm Toph Beifong... I'm not weak." She whispered to herself, "Quit your crying dammit, so what if they think you're a sightless... Platypus... Bear...? D-doesn't mean it's true. That's just what they think." She spat, her eyebrows furrowing. But then she sighed, "Oh who am I kidding? No matter how hard I try, they'll always see me as this weak... Dependent... Helpless... Baby." She said, her voice growing softer and softer as she went on. 

She hadn't let herself break like this in awhile. It seemed like those girls had once again filled the bucket of insecurities she'd been keeping inside. In the back of her head. She laughed bitterly. What she didn't know, or was able to sense since he was standing on the thick carpet outside the bathroom, Sokka was standing there, watching in shock as his girlfriend broke down. How had he not known she felt this way? Was he too pre-occupied that he wasn't able to pay attention? 

He had intended to surprise her by arriving earlier than what she expected, he had gone off of work earlier than usual. But instead he was surprised to see her say these false things about herself. So when he made his first step towards her, she froze. No way she could cover this up now. What was he even doing there?! 

"Toph?" He asked, slowly, cautiously, walking towards her in fear of her bending a brick to his face. "Sokka." She said, tight-lipped. Her nose was red, cheeks flushed, eyes rimmed with red. "What are you doing here so... Early?" She asked, picking up the groceries facing away from him, wanting to avoid the conversation. 

"I wanted to surprise you... My boss had this emergency thing and gave us all an early dismissal." He said, and approached her with more ease. She tensed even further though, 'Stupid carpet.' she thought, and now Sokka was behind her, hand on her shoulder. But instead of saying anything, he only turned her around to face him and wrapped his arms around her as she broke. He rubbed her back, resting his chin on her head. Her sobs held so much pent up pain. Sure she wasn't full out bawling, but they held the same intensity. 

"Shh... Toph, it's okay... You're okay." He soothed her, and she held onto him tighter. "It's not their words that hurt, Sokka... It's the fact that they believe it's the truth. It's the fact that they see me that way and not like a normal person." She admitted, "That doesn't mean they're true." "To some extent they are though, if someone takes away my bending, I really am what they see me as..." "What? Weak?" "Helpless... Because I won't be able to see a single thing." "Well, you won't have to worry then... Because none of our friends will let anyone take your sight away from you." He told her, "Toph, we'll always be here for you. We're your family... So don't ever feel like you have to hide a part of yourself from us, okay?" 

She nodded into his now damp shirt and he kissed her forehead. "As for me? I'll always love you. You beautiful dork." He teased, wiping her tears away as she laughed, leaning her head on his chest. Listening to the steady, even, beat of his heart. He loved her so much, words fail. They always did. "Thanks... I needed that." She mumbled, and kissed his lips, full of passion. He returned the favor and soon Toph's mood was better than ever, and her chest felt lighter and less suffocating. 

It's true that even the toughest can fall, but he'll always be there to pick her back up.

**Author's Note:**

> I hearby blame the music I've been listening to to make me make this lmao.   
> (Curse u December Ave)


End file.
